I am doing the Simply Health Great North Run 2019 for Tiny Lives because it is a fantastic charity for premature babies.

We care for sick and premature babies to give every baby the best chance of life

Charity Registration No. 1150178

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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

The Tiny Lives Charity is special to me as I was born three months premature myself, albeit not in the RVI as there were no spaces left for my Mam, so we had to travel all the way to Sunderland.

When I was born, I was very weak and the doctors whisked me away to the side before my parents could hold me, as they were very concerned. Eventually, they couldn’t find a heartbeat and declared that I wasn't alive. My parents were obviously devastated, and it pains me to imagine the pain they went through whenever we see news, adverts or television programmes concerning poorly premature babies. However, a nurse, who I wish I could have the pleasure of finding, interrupted the two men who were taking me away to do what they do in such circumstances, and argued that enough tests hadn’t been done on me. An hour later, she told my parents this, much to their shock, after she asked them if they wanted to see me, as I was alive. She had ran tests on me and discovered a tiny heartbeat. She saved my life, and I am eternally thankful for that.

I weighed just under 2lb, had to be put in an incubator, had a blood transfusion, and had to stay in hospital for a long time. My parents were given the choice of giving me a breathing machine for home, or a tracheotomy, and they chose the former, so even at home I had to be assisted with breathing. After a while, still a baby, I didn’t need it anymore, but I did use an inhaler around the age of 7/8 as my lungs weren’t great.

So, when I see premature babies, or babies with breathing machines or tracheotomies when I’m out and about, I’m always rooting for them. I always feel a connection.

My breathing is better than it was, as I exercise regularly, but it’s still a work in progress for me, especially when it comes to running. So I want to really challenge myself to do the Great North Run in order to fundraise for this amazing charity that provides support to other premature/ poorly babies and their families. It is so very important that this charity receive funding to enable them to provide the best care they can.

I want to show fellow preemies and their families, and myself, what’s possible even if you didn’t have the best start.

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About the charity

Tiny Lives is a charitable trust that helps to care for 800+ premature and sick newborn babies and their families each year. It supports the Newcastle Neonatal Service at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary that cares for babies from across the North East and Cumbria.